Noel Venero Lopez, 55, a male of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, was shot on the evening of May 29, 2025, along the 11700 block of the Southwest Freeway service road near Wilcrest Drive in Houston. According to police, officers first responded to a minor collision between a gray Dodge Charger and a black Toyota Prius. As they gathered information, witnesses reported a young man walking into traffic; a gunshot followed, and a red Hyundai Elantra sped away.
The driver of that Hyundai—identified by authorities as Noel Venero Lopez, 55—was found wounded, transported to Ben Taub General Hospital, and later pronounced dead.
Investigators said the same man then pointed a gun at a witness and fled by carjacking the witness’s gray Audi SQ5. The Audi’s tracking led police to Corpus Christi, where officers recovered the vehicle and detained a 20-year-old suspect in a nearby field. That suspect, Alexis Garcia, was found armed with a handgun, according to authorities.
In the immediate aftermath, Alexis Garcia, 20, was booked on charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, theft, and unlawful carrying of a weapon as the investigation into the shooting of Noel Venero Lopez, 55, continued. After further investigation and consultation with prosecutors, charges were upgraded: on July 9, 2025, Garcia was charged with capital murder in connection with the killing of Noel Venero Lopez, 55. He was extradited to Harris County and remains in custody pending further court proceedings.
Local coverage and police updates describe the sequence as a chain of events that began with the traffic crash, escalated with the shooting of Noel Venero Lopez, 55, and continued with the carjacking and flight to Corpus Christi, where the arrest was made within hours. Subsequent reports reaffirm that Alexis Garcia is the sole suspect charged in the death of Noel Venero Lopez, 55, and that the case is now moving forward in Harris County’s 209th State District Court.
